Education behind bars

Our justice system is notoriously slow.

- POPOY DE VERA

For the poor, justice delayed is definitely justice denied.Noted criminologist Prof. Raymund Narag said it takes two to three months for a person deprived of liberty (PDL) to be arraigned, and three to six years for the case to be finalized.

A PDL is lucky to have four hearings in a year, but usually only one gets done. As a result, most PDLs plead guilty to a lesser offense.

Our prisons are overcrowded and unsafe, making them unfit for teaching and learning. They fail to educate, rehabilitate, or transform lives.

So how do we fix a broken system?

One answer began in 2016 when two intrepid champions of penal reform launched the College Education Behind Bars (CEBB) in Davao City.

Dr. Aland Mizell and Atty. Susan Cariaga established the first CEBB program in the Philippines, which I believe is also the first in Asia. They co-founded the Social Entrepreneurship Technology and Business Institute (SETBI) and, in partnership with the University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), launched and equipped the first CEBB campus at the Davao City Jail.

When I learned about their pioneering effort, I immediately pledged my support. I joined Honeylet Avancefia in opening this program at the Davao City Jail.

The concept of CEBB isn’t new. It was designed to lower recidivism and make better use of time spent in jails and prisons. Without support, PDLs return to the same conditions that led to their arrest.

Many universities, private groups and government agencies have education programs in jails across the country.